At thirty, Ming Li returned to the island where she was born and started an abalone-farming business.
One day, after coming back from the sea, she stood at the bow of the boat, her long hair neatly tied back. Her sun-browned skin glowed in the sunlight.
The islanders she had hired asked her, "Wasn't life in the big city better? Why come back to this remote little island to toil and suffer?"
Ming Li gazed into the distance at the blue-and-white sign of the little shaved-ice shop by the wharf. The sea breeze happened to make her squint. Her lashes damp, she smiled without answering.
The big city is nice. The island is nice too. I came back to hide from a love debt.
-
The motor's roar rumbled as Qian Mengyuan shaved ice behind the counter, her ears itching.
She looked up and saw the fishing boat that had gone out that morning pulling in. Hurrying, she made a few extra servings of shaved ice and set them on the table outside, inviting passersby to try some.
The islanders thanked her cheerfully and asked her the same question.
From the corner of her eye, Qian Mengyuan glanced at the figure deliberately taking the long way around. They exchanged a knowing smile and said nothing.
The big city is nice. The island is even better. I came back to collect a love debt.
-
Their days of pretending not to know each other didn't last long. One night, after the shaved-ice shop had closed, Ming Li found herself cornered behind the counter.
Qian Mengyuan: I heard you told our mutual friends I was like a piece of dog-skin plaster, impossible to shake once I stuck to you.
Ming Li: Didn't you go around telling everyone I had high standards and was too old to get married?
Qian Mengyuan: I never said that.
Ming Li: You did.
Qian Mengyuan: When?
Ming Li: I-I don't remember, but first, tilt your face up ><
-
A sweet romance on a little island.
The owner of a seaside shaved-ice shop x the woman who farms abalone.
Seven-year age gap. An energetic young woman wins over a big sister who only pretends to be cool, and wasn't all that straight to begin with.
Theme: Boost the island's economy and cheer on love.
